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Stars looking for net presence tonight in Detroit

by
Mark Stepneski
/ Dallas Stars

After getting shut out in Minnesota Sunday, the Stars will be looking to generate some offense Tuesday night in Detroit and that means getting to the net.

“We had a conversation today, as a group, that we didn’t get to the net well against Minnesota,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “We had perimeter shots and we had 26 blocked. We weren’t establishing a good net presence. You watch Detroit, San Jose, teams in our conference, you’ve got to get to the net. .. We’ve got to get to the net better.”

There are no expected changes in the Stars lineup tonight other than Kari Lehtonen will be back in goal. Gulutzan said he will probably roll out the same line combinations, but there could be some shuffling during the game.

“We’ll probably start the same way, but regardless of what we do or what the score is, we may shuffle things around to not give us more balance, but for that net presence is something maybe we can spread around.”

That could include giving Cody Eakin, who has been centering the fourth line, a bigger role.

“Cody Eakin is in the forefront of our mind,” Gulutzan said. “All those young guys are because they give you energy.”